Author: Justin Dyche

15th September 2024

15th September 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 21 September 2024

Hello everyone,

I am sending this on Friday this week because tomorrow morning I will be out on the Ride & Stride sponsored cycle ride with James, Colin and Kev. We are hoping to cycle from Sudborough back to Corby, via Slipton, Grafton Underwood, Brigstock and Stanion. If you would like to sponsor us (big thanks to all those who already have) please email ianpullinger@btinternet.com so I can add your name to the sponsor form. Thanks also to the people who will be sitting in St Columba’s ready to welcome cyclists from other churches, and us when we arrive back.

Sending this on Friday morning also means I can remind all the ladies that it is Afternoon Tea in St Columba’s Hall today – do come along at 3pm for tea, sandwiches, scones, cakes, conversation and the latest instalment in Linda’s life story.

Rockingham Flower Show and Harvest Celebration

After the Ride & Stride I will be making my way to Rockingham for the Flower Show, which opens at 2.30pm in the Village Hall, and at the end of which there will be a short Harvest Celebration. Admission to the Show costs £1 for adults but is free for children.

Sunday 15th September

We have a service of Morning Worship in St Columba’s on Sunday morning at 10.30am. This will include the second in our new series of sermons looking at the Lord’s Prayer, with David preaching about “Hallowed be your name”. There will also be ENERGIZE groups for children and the service will be available as a livestream (all being well – we had some problems with the livestream last week for which I apologise) by going to this link: https://youtube.com/live/Q4f3ADsUM8w?feature=share

There will also be the Prayer Meeting in St Columba’s at 6pm on Sunday evening.

Easyfundraising

I’ve just raised £2.00 for St Columba’s by doing some online shopping through easyfundraising and it didn’t cost me anything! You can do the same by supporting St Columba, Corby on easyfundraising. Once you’ve signed up, over 8,000 brands will donate when you shop via the easyfundraising website or app – at no extra cost to yourself. Find out more: https://join.easyfundraising.org.uk/st-columba-corby/pt9vko/dc/bpjaxL9F/dcon/facebook/1

Sunday 22nd September

We have two services next Sunday:
9am HOLY COMMUNION at St Leonard’s, Rockingham
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s, Corby with ENERGIZE groups.
There will also be the 6pm PRAYER MEETING at St Columba’s.

Alpha

We are looking forward to the Alpha course that will be starting next month. If you would be interested in joining it, or know someone who might be, then do let me know. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith, suitable for people who want to establish some spiritual foundations and for those with no previous church experience, so it is great course to invite friends and family to, especially as you can attend with them. At this time we don’t know which day of the week it will be happening on, as this will depend on the people who come forward.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s – Tuesday 15th October

We are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

mini SCaNS 45

The latest edition of mini SCaNS has a biblical theme. There’s a story of a church that had removed all except Paul’s letters from their Bibles and how the preacher used Paul’s writings to preach on 1 Chronicles! It tells how some churches have 47 books in their Bibles instead of our usual 66, has an explanation how the New Testament got put together, a quiz on streakers in the Bible and some Biblical “Firsts”. There are around 13 puzzles and quizzes to challenge and amuse you as well as lots of funnies, a piece about Christian Charles Schultz, creator of Peanut cartoons, and another about a lady who hid some money and an encouraging letter in a book for someone to find to cheer them up even though she, herself, was going through a rough patch – a lesson for us all, there. Steve hopes to have a printed SCaNS out next week to pick up in church. This week there are still copies of the mega-Join-the-Dots puzzles. Do let Steve know if you would like a copy and if you would like more of these.

God bless you all in this coming week,

Ian

01536 400225

07903 644609

8th September 2024

8th September 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 14 September 2024

Hello everyone,

First of all I must say a big THANK YOU to all those who made our International Food Fair such a success last week, and thanks to everyone who came along and enjoyed the food. Sorry if you came too late to enjoy all five meals but hopefully everyone enjoyed a flavour of the event.

Thanks are also due to all those who supported our 1,2,3,4,5 Appeal earlier this year. James reported at PCC on Tuesday that we had received in £6500 as a direct result, with an extra £700 of Gift Aid making a total of £7,200. Some people will have increased their regular giving which will not be shown in these figures, so thank you if you did that. While this is a cause for thanksgiving it is still short of our target (£12,345) so I am just repeating the 1,2,3,4,5 points one more time in case anyone has been waiting until after the summer before giving.
1. PRAYER – please continue to pray about this situation, if possible at 12.34 for 5 minutes. If you can’t pray at 12.34 just find another five minutes in your day to bring this situation to the Lord and to ask what your response might be…
2. GIVE WHAT YOU CAN NOW – you may be able to make a one-off gift to the 1,2,3,4,5 APPEAL or you may be able to start/increase regular giving (see point 4 below)
3. GIFT AID – if we as a church family give £9876 AND it is all gift aided, the church will receive £12345 because of the tax refunded by the government, so no cost to you. You do have to pay Income Tax to be able to claim Gift Aid so not everyone will be eligible but if you do pay Income Tax PLEASE make sure that your donations to the church are GIFT AIDED.
4. 1,2,3,4,5 WAYS TO GIVE
(i) Parish Giving Scheme – direct debit based scheme with an option for automatic inflation based increases each year (you don’t have to do this and can say no to the proposed increase). The phone number to contact Parish Giving Scheme is 0333 002 1271, you can use this to increase your donation or start a new direct debit. You need the full church name “St Columba and the Northern Saints, Corby” and the church code 280628232.
(ii) Envelopes – these can be used with cash or cheques which are placed in the basket in church. New envelopes are in church for the year from October.
(iii) Bank Transfer – just ask for church bank details and set up a regular or one-off payment.
(iv) Card Reader – you choose an amount to give and tap on the machine.
(v) Cash or Cheque in the basket – this is how many donations used to be made and they are still very welcome if you have cash or a cheque.
5. THE FINANCE FIVE
The members of the Finance Committee are available to answer any questions you may have about giving or to help you set up a Direct Debit in the Parish Giving Scheme or to claim Gift Aid. The FINANCE FIVE are: James Ireland, John Lynch, Margaret Smith, Janet Taylor and me. If we don’t know the answer to your question we can ask someone who does (James!).

Please note the phone number above to contact the Parish Giving Scheme to amend or start donations and that there are new envelopes in church for those who use them, ready for the beginning of October.

Sunday 8th September
We have a service of HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s at 10.30am. This will include the first in a new series of sermons looking at the Lord’s Prayer (part of our Year of Prayer) and will also see ENERGIZE groups start back after the summer holidays so do encourage children and young people to come along.
We also have the Prayer Meeting at 6pm in St Columba’s.

Afternoon Tea
The next Ladies Afternoon Tea takes place on Friday 13th September at 3pm in the Church Hall. All ladies are invited for tea, sandwiches, cakes, conversation and the next instalment of Linda’s Life Story!

Ride and Stride
This takes place on Saturday 14th September and we are still looking for people to sponsor the cyclists as well as volunteers to sit in church for an hour that day to welcome cyclists from other churches. There is a sponsor form at the back of church and also a sign up sheet for people to sit in church. Thank you to those who have already completed one, or both, of these.

Rockingham Flower Show
This is happening in the afternoon of Saturday 14th September and will include a short Harvest Celebration led by Ian. Everyone is welcome at Rockingham Village Hall from 2.30pm (don’t arrive earlier as it will be locked for judging of the prize fruit, vegetables and flowers). The cost of admission is £1 for adults and children are free. The Harvest Celebration will be at the end of the Show, about 3.30pm.

Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir
Anyone who watched Britain’s Got Talent may remember this choir who reached the final. They will be singing at Weston-by-Welland church on Saturday 14th September at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £10 for adults but children are free. Tickets should be purchased in advance by calling Daniel on 07967 089101 or Margaret on 07884 242014.

Sunday 15th September
We have a service of MORNING WORSHIP at St Columba’s next Sunday morning at 10.30am. This will include ENERGIZE groups for children and young people. There will also be the Prayer Meeting at 6pm in church.

Alpha
We are looking forward to the Alpha course that will be starting next month. If you would be interested in joining it, or know someone who might be, then do let me know. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith, suitable for people who want to establish some spiritual foundations and for those with no previous church experience, so it is great course to invite friends and family to, especially as you can attend with them. At this time we don’t know which day of the week it will be happening on, as this will depend on the people who come forward.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s – Tuesday 15th October
We are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

Snippets from the Shires
Please find here the latest news from Tim and Carol Derbyshire. Please open this, have a read, and spend some time praying for them and the work of Hope From Above.

And finally…there are no puzzles attached from Steve, but for anyone who likes dot-to-dot puzzles Steve has produced two GIANT versions (one has over a thousand dots!) and these are available in church. Do help yourself and have some fun.

God bless you all in the coming week,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

1st September 2024

1st September 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 10 September 2024

Hello everyone,


I am sending this message out early in order to promote tomorrow’s INTERNATIONAL FOOD FAIR  from 12 noon to 4pm. This event offers so much:

  • an opportunity to sample food from around the world, with dishes from Italy, Pakistan, South Africa, USA and Zimbabwe as well as English cakes and desserts. The food will have been prepared by people from our church family and it would be really encouraging for them to see friends from church sampling their food.
  • a great chance to meet together with friends from church and to invite family and friends to join you – who can refuse a good meal and with a selection of countries there is sure to be something for everyone.
  • an opportunity for us to welcome in people from the community, especially passers by who will hopefully be able to smell the food which will be served outside the church if the weather is good, or in the Hall if not.

And all this for just £10 (to enjoy food from all five countries) or £2.50 if you only want to sample one. Do please support this event which a lot of time and effort has gone into organising and which now needs you to come along and make it a great success. Tickets will be on sale on the day so just turn up and don’t forget to invite your friends and family.

Sunday 1st September
We have two services at St Columba’s on Sunday as follows,
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP with a Back to School theme so do come along, either if you are about to go back to school (or if you already have) or to pray and support our children and young people who are going back to school.
This service will be available to watch here: https://youtube.com/live/FLCvgvlCg9U?feature=share
6pm HOLY COMMUNION after a break in August we have our evening Communion again. This service is for everyone and offers a slightly quieter alternative to our morning services. Because of this service there won’t be a Prayer Meeting on Sunday.

Ride and Stride – Saturday 14th September
The annual sponsored cycle ride is happening on Saturday 14th September. We are looking for people who would be prepared to join a group of cyclists riding in the morning to a selection of village churches around Corby, and who would be willing to collect sponsor money. This money is divided between St Columba’s and the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust. If you would like to sponsor us there will be a Sponsor Form available in church. If you would like to cycle please speak to me or James Ireland who can give you more details and a sponsor form. We will also need people to sit in St Columba’s during the day on 14th September and there will be a sign up sheet in church for that on Sunday.

Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir
Anyone who watched Britain’s Got Talent may remember this choir who reached the final. They will be singing at Weston-by-Welland church on Saturday 14th September at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £10 for adults but children are free. Tickets should be purchased in advance by calling Daniel on 07967 089101 or Margaret on 07884 242014.

Alpha
We are hoping to run an Alpha course in the autumn and would be interested to know who might be interested in joining it. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith, suitable for people who want to establish some spiritual foundations and for those with no previous church experience, so it is great course to invite friends and family to, especially as you can attend with them. At this time we don’t know which day of the week it will be happening on, as this will depend on the people who come forward. More details will be available soon but for now please do let me know if you, or someone you know, would be interested in joining an Alpha course this autumn.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s – Tuesday 15th October
We are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

Sunday 8th September
We have just one service next Sunday at St Columba’s:
10.30am HOLY COMMUNION with the first in a new series of sermons for our Year of Prayer looking at the Lord’s Prayer.
There will also be the Prayer Meeting at 6pm in St Columba’s next Sunday.

And finally here is the latest Puzzles from Steve who writes: Two stories from the stage – one of my own and a hilarious one when the stage crew got their own back with a trampoline on an annoying opera singer. There’s the mind-boggling tale of a Canadian reporter struggling to broadcast the meeting of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) with a Mr & Mrs King and Mr & Mrs Queen without going nuts or getting tongue-tied!! A quiz about Northamptonshire, and true stories about three famous actors who are Christians: Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey and Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson. There other funnies and lots of different quizzes and puzzles including one asking how well do you know Corby and Northamptonshire, and a picture I came across during a clear-out of our Men’s Group 1999.

God bless you all in the coming week.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

25th August 2024

25th August 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 10 September 2024

Hello everyone,

This time next week we will be about to open the doors for our International Food Fair on 31st August from 12 noon to 4pm. This event offers so much:

  • an opportunity to sample food from around the world, with dishes from Italy, Pakistan, South Africa, USA and Zimbabwe. The food will have been prepared by people from our church family and it would be really encouraging for them to see friends from church sampling their food.
  • a great chance to meet together with friends from church and to invite family and friends to join you – who can refuse a good meal and with a selection of countries there is sure to be something for everyone.
  • an opportunity for us to welcome in people from the community, especially passers by who will hopefully be able to smell the food which will be served outside the church if the weather is good, or in the Hall if it is anything like today.

And all this for just £10 (to enjoy food from all five countries) or £2.50 if you only want to sample one. Do please support this event which a lot of time and effort has gone into organising and which now needs you to come along and make it a great success. Tickets will be on sale after church tomorrow, or you can reply to this email to book a ticket, or simply turn up on the day (but pre-booking will help with numbers for cooking).

Sunday 25th August
On Sunday we have HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s at 10.30am (no 9am service at St Leonard’s) which will include activities for children at the back of church. This service will include the latest sermon in our Year of Prayer series and is available as a livestream here:
https://youtube.com/live/VoGa99cZteY?feature=share
There will also be the PRAYER MEETING at 6pm at St Columba’s.

Ride and Stride – Saturday 14th September
The annual sponsored cycle ride is happening on Saturday 14th September. We are looking for people who would be prepared to join a group of cyclists riding in the morning to a selection of village churches around Corby, and who would be willing to collect sponsor money. This money is divided between St Columba’s and the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust. If you would like to sponsor us there will be a Sponsor Form available in church. If you would like to cycle please speak to me or James Ireland who can give you more details and a sponsor form. We will also need people to sit in St Columba’s during the day on 14th September and there will be a sign up sheet for that soon.

Alpha
We are hoping to run an Alpha course in the autumn and would be interested to know who might be interested in joining it. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith, suitable for people who want to establish some spiritual foundations and for those with no previous church experience, so it is great course to invite friends and family to, especially as you can attend with them. At this time we don’t know which day of the week it will be happening on, as this will depend on the people who come forward. More details will be available soon but for now please do let me know if you, or someone you know, would be interested in joining an Alpha course this autumn.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s – Tuesday 15th October
We are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

Sunday 1st September
We have two services at St Columba’s next Sunday as follows,
10.30am ALL AGE WORSHIP with a Back to School theme so do come along, either if you are about to go back to school (or if you already have) or to pray and support our children and young people who are going back to school.
6pm HOLY COMMUNION after a break in August we have our evening Communion again. This service is for everyone and offers a slightly quieter alternative to our morning services. Because of this service there won’t be a Prayer Meeting next Sunday.

God bless you all in the coming week.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

18th August 2024

18th August 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 24 August 2024

Hello everyone,

There is lots of information in this email about events coming up, especially the International Food Fair on 31st August which promises to be an exciting day but does need YOU to come along and bring your family and friends to a fun afternoon of food from across the world – more details and lots more below.

Sunday 18th August
Just one service on Sunday, ALL AGE WORSHIP at St Columba’s at 10.30am. This will feature activities for children and is available as a livestream here: https://youtube.com/live/V1-8XlbIXXw?feature=share
There will also be the PRAYER MEETING at 6pm at St Columba’s.

Flowers Arrangers
Val Berridge has taken the lead arranging the flowers in church for many years and we are very grateful to her for all that she has contributed to making the church a more beautiful place to worship our wonderful God, using the beauty of God’s creation. Val has now indicated that she would like to take a step back from this role and we are proposing a rota of people to arrange the flowers. This would normally involve arranging the flowers one week and making sure they still look good the following week, before the next person comes in to repeat that process. In this way if we had six people you would only need to arrange flowers about once every three months. If you would like to be included on the rota please do let me know, this week if possible. If you want to know more about what is involved do ask Val, Miriam or Margaret Smith.

International Food Fair – Saturday 31st August
This exciting event is happening in just two weeks time from 12 noon to 4pm on 31st August, hopefully on the church lawn or in the Hall if it is wet. There will be food from Pakistan, Italy, South Africa, USA and Zimbabwe and you can sample one dish for £2.50 or all five for £10. Do plan to come along (I would suggest not having any breakfast that morning) and invite friends and family to join you for what promises to be a fun and satisfying day. Tickets are being sold after church and more details are available from Riaan.

Ride and Stride – Saturday 14th September
The annual sponsored cycle ride is happening on Saturday 14th September. At this point we are looking for people who would be prepared to join a group of cyclists riding in the morning to a selection of village churches around Corby, and who would be willing to collect sponsor money. This money is divided between St Columba’s and the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust, and there will be a Sponsor Form available in church if you want to sponsor the group. If you would like to cycle please speak to James Ireland who can give you more details and a sponsor form. We will also need people to sit in St Columba’s during the day on 14th September and there will be a sign up sheet for that soon.

Alpha
We are hoping to run an Alpha course in the autumn and would be interested to know who might be interested in joining it. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith, suitable for people who want to establish some spiritual foundations and for those with no previous church experience, so it is great course to invite friends and family to, especially as you can attend with them. At this time we don’t know which day of the week it will be happening on, as this will depend on the people who come forward. More details will be available soon but for now please do let me know if you, or someone you know, would be interested in joining an Alpha course this autumn.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s – Tuesday 15th October
We are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

Sunday 25th August
Next Sunday we have HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s at 10.30am (no 9am service at St Leonard’s) which will include activities for children at the back of church.

Finally here is the latest mini SCANS. Steve writes: “In this issue you can read a story about an Iranian pastor imprisoned for 7 years and the amazing reflection he wrote on coping with persecution. His words are deeply moving and challenging – do read them and meditate on them. Then there’s an extract from “A brush with God” – one of my favourite outreach sermons which I last preached in 2013. It includes amusing anecdotes (feel free to borrow them!) but focuses on Jesus’ challenge. “Who do YOU say that I am?” – and what difference should that make to your life? There’s lots of puzzles (including some brand new ones) and some funnies.” Then Steve adds “Do give me some feedback. It can be lonely here in the scribe’s garret” please pass your thanks for SCANS to Steve at scansmag@btinternet.com

God bless you all in the coming week.

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

11th August 2024

11th August 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 17 August 2024

Hello everyone,

I begin with a quick reminder that it is the churchyard work party this morning – if you planned to go and had forgotten it is not too late and you would be very welcome!
This page has details of our services tomorrow and next week and also includes news of some very exciting events coming up, the International Food Fair on 31st August and a Riding Lights Theatre production at St Columba’s in October, so do keep reading.

Sunday 11th August
We have a service of HOLY COMMUNION in St Columba’s at 10.30am. There will be children’s activities at the back of church. The service will also be available to watch by going to this link: https://youtube.com/live/0-DZ4DT0sDA?feature=share
There is no Family Service at Rockingham in the afternoon but the PRAYER MEETING will be happening at St Columba’s at 6pm as usual.

Sunday 18th August
Again just the one service next Sunday, ALL AGE WORSHIP at St Columba’s at 10.30am. This will feature plenty of activities for children.

Flowers Arrangers
Val Berridge has taken the lead arranging the flowers in church for many years and we are very grateful to her for all that she has contributed to making the church a more beautiful place to worship our wonderful God, using the beauty of God’s creation. Val has now indicated that she would like to take a step back from this role and we are proposing a rota of people to arrange the flowers. This would normally involve arranging the flowers one week and making sure they still look good the following week, before the next person comes in to repeat that process. In this way if we had six people you would only need to arrange flowers about once every three months. If you would like to be involved please do let me know, if you want to know more about what is involved do ask Val or Margaret Smith.

International Food Fair
This exciting event is happening on Saturday 31st August from 12 noon to 4pm, hopefully on the church lawn or in the Hall if it is wet. There will be food from Pakistan, Italy, South Africa, USA and Zimbabwe and you can sample one dish for £2.50 or all five for £10. Do plan to come along (I would suggest not having any breakfast that morning) and invite friends and family to join you for what promises to be a fun and satisfying day. Tickets are being sold after church and more details are available from Riaan.

Riding Lights Theatre at St Columba’s
Please put the date of 15th October in your diary as we are hosting a performance by Riding Lights of a new production “Cups on a String” in association with the Christian education charity Transforming Lives for Good. This will be happening in the church at 7.30pm and more details will be available over the coming weeks but tickets can be bought now by going to this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/northamptonshire/st-columbas-church/cups-on-a-string/2024-10-15/19:30/t-zzqnxyy

I hope to see many of you in church tomorrow but if you are not able to be there do make sure to come along to the Food Fair.

God bless,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

4th August 2024

4th August 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 10 August 2024

Hello everyone,

I hope you are enjoying the Olympics. Many of you will know that Miriam and I, with Jo, Ruth, Will & Alfie spent a few days in Paris and I have to say it was a wonderful time. I thought there was a feel of heaven about the way that people from so many different nations mingled together and enjoyed the spectacle. How sad then to come back to this country and hear of riots inspired by mis-information and a deep dislike of anyone who is different. As Christians we must stand against such views, and make sure that our community is a safe place for everyone.

Sunday 4th August
Tomorrow we have just one service an Olympic themed ALL AGE WORSHIP at St Columba’s at 10.30am. As this is an All Age service there will be children’s activities included in the service. The service will be available as a livestream here: https://youtube.com/live/JXiDIi5XYYI?feature=share
There will be a PRAYER MEETING in church at 6pm.

Afternoon Tea
The next Ladies Afternoon Tea in the Church Hall will be on Friday 9th August at 3pm.

Churchyard Work Party
Please note we are having another work party to tidy up the church grounds on Saturday 10th August starting at 10am. If you can give a couple of hours that morning you would be very welcome – many hands make light work!

Easyfundraising
Good news, we raised £5.54 in free donations last month through people signing up to easyfundraising. The church receives a donation when people who have registered make their usual online purchases through many household names, including M&S, Travelodge, eBay and 8000 others! You can register to be part of this, which costs you nothing, you pay the same price and the donation comes from the supplier, by going to:
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/st-columba-corby

Radiators!
I realise that you may not be thinking about heating after the temperatures we have had this week, but there are 2 oil filled electric radiators available if anyone would like them – please reply to his email.

Next Sunday
There will be a service of HOLY COMMUNION at St Columba’s at 10.30am with activities for children at the back of church.
There is no service at Rockingham next Sunday.

And Also
Please find here the latest Prayer Update from Hope From Above and a Puzzles and Other Stuff from Steve who writes: this is simply a collection of fun things. We have the King cancelling America’s independence because of the mess they are making of their present elections situation… a lass whose husband needs a reboot having been upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 software to Husband 1.0… the TRUE story of how we used to have our own metric decimal system of weights and measures way back from the time of King Alf the Great until it was messed up by the French Norman invaders who had the nerve to go metric at the time of the French Revolution! And lots of puzzles and funnies. ALSO – the tale of when St Columba’s featured on the popular TV programme Noel’s House Party when Terry and I set up Michael Eden (then Vicar) to be gotchered at home, and we got the whole congregation on the show in the Hall with Mr.Blobby and much gunge! I still have a full recording of the show and behind the scenes footage we could show sometime. Why do I mention this? Because the Beeb are running back editions of the show on BBC4 at 7pm on Saturdays starting today (3rd August). Who know, maybe they’ll pick our edition! Also – I’m sure some will be pleased to hear that Michael officiated at youngest daughter (Anna’s) wedding last week.

God bless you all,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

28th July 2024

28th July 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 3 August 2024

Hello everyone,

I hope you enjoyed our Confirmation service last Sunday, it was a joy to share that day with Brigiter, John, Sandra, Michelle, Bruce, Demi, Andy and Monique who were all confirmed and Susan who was welcomed into the Church of England. I am sorry that I failed to press the button to start the livestream, however, because the testimonies were so powerful, we have recorded them separately and they are available to watch using the link below.

After the excitement of the Confirmation there is still plenty happening in the life of the church as detailed below.

Confirmation Testimonies
Do click on the link below to watch Michelle, Sandra, Demi and John’s testimonies. These are just as they were read out in the services over the last two weeks, but were filmed in church during this past week.
https://youtu.be/2Cl0hlZyqec

Sunday 28th July
We have two services on Sunday, although they will be very similar, both led by William with a sermon by David, so there is a choice of time and location rather than content.
The service at St Leonard’s, Rockingham is at 9am and at St Columba’s at 10.30am.
Please note there will be activities for children at the back of St Columba’s but as we are in the summer holidays and the ENERGIZE leaders are taking a well deserved break there will be no supervision so parents/carers will need to be with their children.
The St Columba’s service will also be available as a livestream here:
https://youtube.com/live/GNxeq2OwNYQ?feature=share
There will be the usual PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s at 6pm

Sunday 4th August
We have just one service next Sunday, ALL AGE WORSHIP at St Columba’s at 10.30am. As this is an All Age service there will be children’s activities included in the service.

Afternoon Tea
The next Ladies Afternoon Tea in the Church Hall will be on Friday 9th August at 3pm.

Churchyard Work Party
Please note we are having another work party to tidy up the church grounds on Saturday 10th August starting at 10am. If you can give a couple of hours that morning you would be very welcome – many hands make light work!

1,2,3,4,5 Church Finance Update
Again can I say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has responded to this appeal in any way. Don’t forget you can still speak to the FINANCE FIVE if you have any questions about any aspect of financial giving to St Columba’s. They are: James Ireland, John Lynch, Margaret Smith, Janet Taylor and me. If we don’t know the answer to your question we can ask someone who does (James!).

Safeguarding Training
Training in person and with a facilitator on Microsoft Teams for Basic Awareness, Foundation and Domestic Abuse, will be available next month. Full details were in last week’s email and you can book a place via this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/safeguarding-training-2391149?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb
If you are not sure which courses you need to complete please speak with Susan Fleming our Safeguarding Officer.

God bless you all,

Ian

21st July 2024

21st July 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 26 July 2024

Good morning everyone,

Sunday promises to be another exciting day with our Confirmation Service at St Columba’s in the morning followed by a Celebration Lunch in the Church Hall, and this week the day can’t be spoiled by football! We can however round it off with an hour of prayer at our Prayer Meeting. On the subject of prayer some of us have been praying for Aidan Coleman this week who fell and landed on his hip replacement which has caused much pain and he is still not able to move his hip without pain so has no mobility. He was admitted to hospital on Tuesday and is still there, waiting for the results of a CT scan to determine the cause and for rehab to get him moving again – please pray for Aidan.

SUNDAY 21st JULY – Service and Lunch
We are very much looking forward to our CONFIRMATION SERVICE at St Columba’s on Sunday with Demi, Brigiter, John, Sandra, Michelle, Bruce, Monique and Andy McGinnis, who is new to church, all being confirmed, and Susan Adelosoye being welcomed into the Church of England. We begin with worship from 10.15 with the service starting at 10.30am. Please come along, early if possible because the candidates and their supporters will be sitting at the front so there may not be quite as much space as usual, and to support these members of our church family and to be encouraged as we listen to testimony from some of them. After the service there will be COFFEE as usual at the back of church before we have a CELEBRATION LUNCH in the Church Hall. The food will be provided so do come along even if you have not signed up.
Please note there will be activities for children at the back of church but as we are in the summer holidays and the ENERGIZE leaders are taking a well deserved break there will be no supervision so parents/carers will need to be with their children.

PRAYER MEETING
In the evening we have our regular PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s at 6pm.

SUNDAY 28th JULY
We have two services next Sunday, although they will be very similar, both led by William with a sermon by David, so there is a choice of time not content:
The service at St Leonard’s, Rockingham is at 9am and at St Columba’s at 10.30am.

1,2,3,4,5 CHURCH FINANCE UPDATE
All I want to say is many, many thanks to everyone who has responded to this appeal in any way and don’t forget you can still speak to the FINANCE FIVE if you have any questions about and aspect of financial giving to St Columba’s. They are: James Ireland, John Lynch, Margaret Smith, Janet Taylor and me. If we don’t know the answer to your question we can ask someone who does (James!).

SAFEGUARDING TRAINING
Training in person and with a facilitator on Microsoft Teams for Basic Awareness, Foundation and Domestic Abuse, will be available next month. Full details were in last week’s post and you can book a place via this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/safeguarding-training-2391149?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb
If you are not sure which courses you need to complete please speak with Susan Fleming our Safeguarding Officer.

mini SCaNS 43
Please find here mini SCANS 43 about which Steve writes: The current mag has a fascinating story of how Nelson Mandela dealt with the former Warden of the prison he had been kept in for 27 years (abusing and torturing him) when they met in a restaurant after he became President. There’s also a story about my own experiences of trusting God when he calls you to do the unexpected, linked with John Bunyan’s story. Lots of puzzles and funnies, many relating to the Olympics – and some exam howlers!

Churchyard Work Party
Please make a note of Saturday 10th August when we are having another work party to tidy up the church grounds. If you have any time to give that morning you would be very welcome – many hands make light work!

And finally
I have been asked to promote Chinfest which is happening today at S&L Football Club from 1pm to 10pm to help raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention in memory of Tracey Chinnock. All money raised will go to local charities and organisations that support mental health including MIND Northamptonshire and Youth Works. Tickets cost £7.50 for adults and £3 for children with under 5’s going free.

Best wishes,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609

14th July 2024

14th July 2024

By Justin Dyche in Sunday Service on 20 July 2024

Good morning everyone,

Sunday promises to be an exciting day…with Baptism Services at St Columba’s in the morning and St Leonard’s in the afternoon, and that is all before the football! Please keep reading for full details of what’s happening over the next couple of weeks, the fifth and final point in our 1,2,3,4,5 Appeal, news about in person Safeguarding training for anyone who needs to update that, the latest Snippets from Tim & Carol Derbyshire and news of the Rockingham Dog Show!

SUNDAY 14th JULY
We have two services on Sunday.
In St Columba’s at 10.30am we have a service with BAPTISM by IMMERSION for Michelle Doran. This will be a good witness to those who are not regularly in church so why not invite someone along. This service will be available as a livestream here:
https://youtube.com/live/BaZowZOdL4w?feature=share
In St Leonard’s Rockingham at 3pm we have a FAMILY SERVICE which also includes a baptism.
In the evening we have the PRAYER MEETING in St Columba’s at 6pm.

1,2,3,4,5 CHURCH FINANCE UPDATE
We continue to address the prediction that our church income looks as if it will be almost £12,345 less than our expenditure with a 1,2,3,4,5 point strategy.

  1. PRAYER – please can everyone connected with St Columba’s pray about this situation, if possible at 12.34 for 5 minutes. Obviously if you can’t pray at 12.34 please try and find another five minutes in your day to bring this situation to the Lord and to ask what your response might be…
  2. GIVE WHAT YOU CAN NOW – and can I say a huge THANK YOU for all the extra gifts we have received over the past three weeks, if you have not yet given it is never too late, see point 4 below.
  3. GIFT AID – if we as a church family give just £9876 AND it is all gift aided, the church will receive £12345 because of the tax refunded by the government, so no cost to you. You do have to pay Income Tax to be able to claim Gift Aid so not everyone will be eligible but if you do pay Income Tax PLEASE make sure that your donations to the church are GIFT AIDED.
  4. 1,2,3,4,5 WAYS TO GIVE – these are:
    (i) Parish Giving Scheme – direct debit based scheme with an option for automatic inflation based increases each year (you don’t have to do this and can opt out). Good because you give if you are in church or not, we receive Gift Aid monthly, and auto increase facility means giving can go up each year.
    (ii) Envelopes – these can be used with cash or cheques which are placed in the basket in church. Again they are good because you can put money in the envelope even if you are not in church, but there is obviously no auto-increase so the real value of giving can decline over time.
    (iii) Bank Transfer – just ask for church bank details and set up a regular or one-off payment. Good because you can do it anywhere, including when you are not in church, but not so good because you have to remember to do it, as well as to increase from time to time if you are able.
    (iv) Card Reader – you choose an amount to give and tap on the machine. One disadvantage is that the technology has sometimes let us down, another is that you have to be in church to give, but you can easily make up for weeks you were not in church by increasing your donation.
    (v) Cash or Cheque in the basket – this is how many donations used to be made but with people using less cash and cheques as well as transferring to other giving methods it is in decline. The disadvantages are that you have to be in church to give and it is easier to give £10 than increase to £12.34
    Our final point is actually a source of help with any of the above:
  5. INTRODUCING THE FINANCE FIVE
    The members of the Finance Committee are available to answer any questions you may have about giving or to help you set up a Direct Debit in the Parish Giving Scheme or to claim Gift Aid. They may ask if you have any questions, so don’t be alarmed if they speak with you after one of our services.
    The FINANCE FIVE are: James Ireland, John Lynch, Margaret Smith, Janet Taylor and me. If we don’t know the answer to your question we can ask someone who does (James!).
    Thank you once again to everyone who has already responded to this appeal.

SUNDAY 21st JULY – Service and Lunch
This is the date of the CONFIRMATION SERVICE for a number of people from St Columba’s at 10.30am. Please come along and support these members of our church family who are being confirmed. After the service there will be a LUNCH in the Church Hall to celebrate. The food will be provided so do plan to come along and join the Confirmation candidates in celebration. There is a SIGN UP sheet available in church to give an idea of numbers for the lunch, or you can reply to this email to say you will be there.

ROCKINGHAM COMPANION DOG SHOW
Unfortunately this clashes with our Confirmation Lunch but if you are interested it is in Rockingham Village Hall from 1pm next Sunday. There are Pedigree and Novelty classes. Judging commences at 2pm.

SAFEGUARDING TRAINING
Amie Freeman from the Diocesan Safeguarding Team will be delivering six training sessions during August 2024 for Basic Awareness, Foundation and Domestic Abuse, one of each in person and one via Microsoft Teams. This will be the last opportunity for many months to attend in person training so if you need to complete any of these courses and online training is not your thing do make the most of these opportunities. The details are:
Basic Awareness
5th August 2024 2-4pm IN PERSON @ Bouverie Court
5th August 2024 6-8pm Online via Teams
Foundations
12th August 2024 2-4pm IN PERSON @ Bouverie Court
12th August 2024 6-8pm Online via Teams
Domestic Abuse
19th August 2024 2-4pm IN PERSON @ Bouverie Court
19th August 2024 6-8pm Online via Teams
To book a space please visit:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/safeguarding-training-2391149?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

SNIPPETS FROM THE SHIRES
It was good to have Tim and Carol with us last month and they have written another Prayer Letter following their trip to Germany. This is here for you to read and pray.

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of the latest PRINT edition of SCaNS if you were not in church last Sunday.

Best wishes,

Ian

01536 400225
07903 644609